non-baby related post

Just really felt the need to post this adorable picture of my fur baby :-)  She loved her Christmas sweater!

23 weeks

How far along: 23 weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a grapefruit; during month 5 baby will be measuring 10.5-11.8 inches head to toe and weighing in at about 12.7-20.8 ounces - according to most resources I've perused baby boy should be breaking the 1 pound mark this week

Total Weight Gain/Loss: well my weight is down again after my illness last week (see below) - I'm down 8 lbs from my heaviest early in pregnancy and about 5 lbs from my starting weight but I'm still up about 1.5 lbs from my lowest... I was getting really in my head about this weight thing but the OB has not even mentioned it once and I know I have extra weight to lose so since baby boy seems to be growing appropriately I am choosing to just not worry about it.  Also, since I am seriously not wanting to have to deal with gestational diabetes, being on the lower weight gain side makes me feel better than if I were on the higher side.

How I'm Changing: bump is growing and that's about it

Maternity Clothes:  wearing them almost exclusively... some of my non-maternity shirts still work but the numbers are dwindling 

Gender: baby boy 

Movements: feeling small kicks/bumps basically every day - nothing from the outside yet

Sleep: ok but waking up several times a night to adjust my position and get comfortable - also the dreams are seriously strange

Symptoms:  some back and abdominal pain - also like I mentioned last week I got what I now think was a nasty upper respiratory virus... I was pretty much out for the count from Friday night until Tuesday night.  I tried to go to work Monday but left after half a day and then had to call out Tuesday... I made it back to work Wednesday and then tried to really take it easy on Christmas while B was at work.  I'm definitely on the mend now but it was pretty awful.

How I'm feeling: better now than earlier this week

What I Miss: nothing new... red wine, sushi

Cravings: nothing specific this week

Best Moment(s) of the Week: not much going on this week... happy to have celebrated Christmas with family and friends near and far - facetime is certainly a great thing

What I am Looking Forward To: looking forward to the baby shower next week and our ultrasound in early January

22 weeks

How far along: 22 weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a papaya; during month 5 baby will be measuring 10.5-11.8 inches head to toe and weighing in at about 12.7-20.8 ounces 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: down about 1 pound from pre-pregnancy and up about 7 pounds from lowest 1st trimester weight - have had a bit of a growth spurt this past week to week and a half and the bump is showing it

baby bump at work... 21w4d

How I'm Changing: bigger bump and increased appetite (related? maybe...)

Maternity Clothes:  wearing them almost exclusively... some of my non-maternity shirts still work but the numbers are dwindling 

Gender: baby boy 

Movements: feeling small kicks/bumps basically every day - nothing from the outside yet and still very low

Sleep: ok but I'm quite tired most of the time

Symptoms:  some back and abdominal pain - also as of Friday I have some sort of head cold that is making me miserable but hopefully it will go away soon...

How I'm feeling: good overall :-) I feel big but not like I'm waddling yet so that is a plus

What I Miss: nothing new... red wine, sushi

Cravings: still apple juice to some extent but also gummy snacks

Best Moment(s) of the Week: didn't do much this week... I got back from a girls weekend on Monday and B left Saturday for a Chicago weekend/Bears game with his family so we haven't seen a ton of each other...

What I am Looking Forward To: Christmas/New Year's with family and friends will be fun - also another ultrasound scheduled for early January - hopefully we'll get a good profile shot finally and it will be fun to see our little guy again

21 weeks

How far along: 21 weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a pomegranate; 10.5 inches head to toe; weighing in at about 12.7 ounces

Total Weight Gain/Loss: down about 4 pounds from pre-pregnancy but up about 4 pounds from lowest 1st trimester weight

How I'm Changing: not too much change in the last week - still definitely feeling pregnant and my recent flights have reinforced the changes occurring due to baby boy - tiny airline seats are not too comfy :-)

Maternity Clothes:  wearing them... still can wear some non-maternity shirts if they are longer in the torso

Gender: baby boy as determined by two different u/s techs about 2 weeks apart - it feels very real now

Movements: finally felt a kick on Thursday evening!  I think baby boy was trying to kick the cat as she was laying on my stomach but she didn't seem to notice :-)  the kick was very low in my abdomen which apparently is not uncommon with an anterior placenta... I'm learning all kinds of new things with this pregnancy

Sleep: ok - I wake up at least once a night but am able to go back to sleep... 

Symptoms:  headaches, RLP, some back pain

How I'm feeling: good and happy - I love the holidays and I am enjoying sharing our pregnancy with our families during this fun time

What I Miss: nothing new... red wine, sushi

Cravings: Ok - I finally have a craving... I want apple juice all the time - specifically I want the minute maid variety

Best Moment(s) of the Week: the follow up u/s was pretty fun - got to spend another hour watching baby boy move around and he's gotten even cuter in the past 2 weeks

baby boy sharing a smile

What I am Looking Forward To: looking forward to the rest of December and seeing friends/family and hopefully feeling baby boy move even more in the next couple weeks

20 weeks - half way point!

How far along: 20 weeks

Size of baby: About the size of a banana; 6.5 inches head to rump and 10 inches head to toe; weighing in at about 10.2 ounces

Total Weight Gain/Loss: still down a bit but up 4 lbs from my lowest

How I'm Changing: baby bump is getting really firm and definitely has gotten bigger over the last week or two

Maternity Clothes:  fully embracing the bump with cute fitted shirts that show it off - might as well rock it right?

Gender: baby boy - going for a follow up u/s on Wednesday so I'll have the tech check then too and if she agrees then I'll feel more confident that it really is a boy :-)

Movements: nothing yet - really wish I would feel something soon - I'm sure I'll regret saying that when he's kicking me in the lungs

Sleep: ok - I wake up at least once a night but so far have been able to go back to sleep for the most part

Symptoms:  headaches, RLP, some back pain

How I'm feeling: so happy - I can't wait to love on this little boy... 

What I Miss: nothing new... red wine, sushi

Cravings: I must not be a cravings type of person...

Best Moment(s) of the Week: well I got to hear our baby boy's heartbeat again and I added it to a photo to make my first attempt at a video :-)

What I am Looking Forward To: pretty excited about the follow up u/s this week - it will be a little more than 2 weeks since we saw him last time so I'm interested to see if he looks any different/bigger/less skeletal :-)  also on a non-baby related note, I am looking forward to seeing some of my friends in Chicago this weekend

19.5 weeks

In a slight deviation from my normal posting frequency I decided today (at the request of some of my family that wanted to see the progression) to post all the "bump" photos I have taken so far.  They are not super cute but they are what they are :-)  Enjoy.

week 4

week 5

week 7

week 9

week 14

week 16

week 18.5 (5 months before due date)